


The Smiling Mask

by InPrisonForSparkling



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 420 hits HADGHFHFSKFGJKH, Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, M/M, This has probably been done before, and Dream's a monster, basically George and Sapnap are monster hunters, feel free to theorize, you're never getting an explanation as to who the mystery caller is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27937837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InPrisonForSparkling/pseuds/InPrisonForSparkling
Summary: No one knows the Dream's real name.And even if they knew it, few would dare to speak it; he's called the Dream for a reason - if anyone said what he really was, it might just catch his attention. But the Dream is just a folk legend, right?Wrong.George and Sapnap are best friends, and the best monster hunters around. And one day, they get a call from someone, and all it says is: "You're monster hunters, right? Then I have something for you to catch:""The Dream."George and Sapnap have heard the stories. Theyhaveto accept this particular assignment.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey!! thanks for reading!
> 
> disclaimer: i do not ship Dream and George irl. i ship their online personas, and i only wrote this because they're okay with fanfiction. if either of them expresses discomfort towards fanfic written about them, i'll take this down. thanks!!

Clay had heard the whispers, the rumors, the tales that townspeople spun to scare themselves. They called him the Dream, and they were _terrified_ of him.

He couldn't exactly blame them. Sure, he looked like a human, but just the way he moved was often enough to scare the townspeople. And there was the mask; he could admit it was a little creepy. The ceaseless smile had become his trademark, his symbol.

And the fact that he had killed someone, once or twice.

Clay hadn't _meant_ to kill those townsfolk. They had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd still killed them, though, and now he was reduced to a legend, a story told to scare children. They said he wasn't real.

But he _was_ real, and he lived in the woods outside the town, every so often letting himself be seen.

Despite what he told himself, he loved this - the quiet uneasiness around town, the panic whenever he was spotted.

Clay, quite literally, lived off of fear.

* * *

"George?" Nick - or, as he was most commonly known, Sapnap - called out from the kitchen of the caravan.

"Yeah?" George answered from his spot on the couch, scrolling through Twitblrbook.

"We're out of instant noodles."

"Fuck," George groaned. He and Sapnap may have been the best monster hunters around, but they were also barely functioning adults who ate instant noodles for pretty much every meal. "How'd that happen?"

Sapnap snorted. "I'd say we probably ate them all."

"Shut up, Sap."

"No."

"I hate you," George grumbled, rolling off the couch.

Sapnap giggled. "You love me, Georgie."

"I _do not._ Now shut up so I can go to the shop and get us more food." George threw a pillow at his friend.

Sapnap raised his hands as if to surrender. "Fine, fine."

George was just about to unlock the door when the phone rang.

Sapnap froze. "...that's our work phone."

George ran over to the phone. "George and Nick-"

The caller cut him off. "You're monster hunters, right? Then I have something for you to catch: the Dream."

And they hung up.

"What was it?" Sapnap asked impatiently. "Wrong number?"

George startled. He'd forgotten that Sapnap was there. "Oh- no, it was an assignment... to catch something called the Dream?"

Sapnap froze again, staring at George. "...did you say _the Dream_?"

"Uh, yes? Does that mean something to you?" George asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh, it's just... a legend from my town. You know, the creepy little village I grew up in?" Sapnap paused to take a breath, then continued, "The Dream was a story parents used to tell their kids, to make sure they wouldn't go into the woods. Basically, he's a monster who looks like a human but just... moves like something _else_ \- he has a mask with a smiley face on it- and he'll steal you away and kill you."

"...whoa," George murmured.

Sapnap nodded. "Yep. I... I actually..." He glanced away. "I saw him once. I went into the woods, and he was just _there_. He stared at me for a moment- I swear, he looked the same age as me- and then left. Poof. Gone."

"You _saw_ him?" George asked incredulously. "Alright. Yeah. Well, if we know where he is, then-"

"We have to hunt him, right?" Sapnap grinned. "I'll get the caravan set up."

George chuckled. "You do that. I'll go get the noodles, though."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yes, two chapters in one day. also sorry if everyone is OOC, this is my first time writing the characters-

"So. Sapnap," George began, staring out the windshield of the car.

"Yes, my darling George, light of my life?" Sapnap responded, snickering slightly.

George whacked him gently on the arm. "Shut up, you. Anyway, do you know anything else about the Dream?"

Sapnap was silent for a moment, turning the wheel at a bend in the road. "Well, I know he can sense fear."

George laughed in surprise. " _What_?"

Sapnap nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I know! It's crazy!" He took a breath, then continued, "He also tries to lure people into the woods. Sometimes by singing. And I've heard that, when he kills someone, his mask cracks open and all these teeth come out and his nails turn into huge long claws."

George stared outside again. "Ah."

* * *

Clay had heard the person make that call. He could've sworn they made eye contact with him when they said " _monster hunters_ ".

_Hunters._ Clay was going to be hunted like- like a wild animal!

For the first time in his life, Clay was completely terrified.

He- he knew he shouldn't be, these humans were just as scared of _him_ as he was of _them_ , but this was something completely different than the useless efforts of the villagers to drive him away. These were trained _monster hunters_ , and if they found him, they could sure as hell kill him.

~~He didn't want to die, oh gods, he didn't want to die.~~

He'd try to avoid them at first. If that didn't work, he could try scaring them away, and if _that_ didn't work-

...well, if that didn't work he'd probably be killed.

Clay curled up into himself. He wasn't sure what the salty, clear liquid running down his cheeks was, but it felt _horrible_.

* * *

Sapnap slowed down as they approached the entrance to a small town. "Well, George, welcome to my ancestral home. Grand, is it not?"

George stifled a laugh. "This place? Pshhh."

"Yeah, it's not grand, I know," Sapnap chuckled. He glanced around. "So, are we going to start looking for our Dreamy friend now, or...?"

George considered for a moment. "I'd say we should set up the caravan first. We might be spending a while here." He glanced at Sapnap, who seemed unhappy with the idea, and gave him an apologetic smile. "Unfortunately."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment!! it'd greatly help with my motivation :D  
> not sure if i like this chapter but oh well.

George couldn't sleep.

There was just something about the town. It felt uneasy, and Sapnap's tale of the Dream hadn't helped (although, Sapnap was snoring peacefully. He was probably just more used to the town).

He stared out of the window, towards the woods. If the legends were true - and judging by Sapnap's first-hand experience, they were - then the Dream was out there.

There was a flash of white in between the trees, and George probably would have screamed if his friend wasn't asleep. Because that flash of white looked like-

A mask.

A mask with a smiling face.

The Dream was _there_. Right in front of him.

George couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn more about the monster, and if he'd been drowsy before, he was completely awake now.

So against his better judgement, George threw on his jacket and ran out of the door and into the forest.

 _Oh, gods, I'm going to die_ , George thought, running full tilt after the Dream.

* * *

_Shit. Fuck. Gods damn it,_ Clay thought as he watched the hunter run towards him. It had to be the hunters, in that caravan; no one came to this town unless they had business here. And _no one_ ran after the Dream if they could help it.

Clay desperately wanted to run away, but he was frozen in fear. Hell, he could feel his strength disappearing, apparently he got weaker the more scared he was...

He sighed, still staring at the young man running towards him. _I'm dead._

* * *

George was slightly surprised that the Dream hadn't run away.

 _Why the hell am I so calm?_ he wondered, taking another step towards the monster.

The Dream really did look human. He wore a (yellow? Green? George couldn't tell) hoodie, ripped blue jeans, and sneakers. His hair ( _was_ it hair? You couldn't know for sure, with monsters) was a dirty blonde, and he seemed tanned... and then there was that smiling mask.

And everything in the Dream's stance screamed _terrified._

Of course, it could be a trick - George had come across more than his share of those in his time as a hunter - or simply a misinterpretation on George's part. Sapnap had said that the Dream didn't move like a human.

Cautiously, he took another step forward. "You're the Dream, huh?"

The Dream shivered at that, recoiling slightly. After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly nodded.

George jumped in surprise. "Oh, shit, he can understand me..." he muttered under his breath. The intelligent monsters were often the worst (whether that meant the scheming, or the eventuality of completing the job).

The Dream laughed shakily, glancing away. "Y-yep."

 _And he can talk._ _Great._ George shook his head, taking another step towards the Dream. "Should- should I just call you Dream? Because 'the Dream' sounds weird."

"Sure." Dream nodded, though he still seemed nervous. He fiddled with his hoodie strings. "So when are you going to kill me?"

"Wh-what?" George hadn't expected Dream to know what he was here for.

"You're the monster hunters, right?" Dream asked, curling up in a way that should _not_ have been possible, and was extremely unsettling. "You're here to kill me."

George nearly reached out to put a hand on Dream's shoulder, then thought better of it. He couldn't exactly say _no_ , since... well, he _was_ here to kill Dream, or at least drive him away from the town. "I- we don't _have_ to kill you. We don't want to. All we want is for you to stop bothering this town-"

" _Bothering?_ " Dream's voice was suddenly low and scratchy. He walked- crawled- uh, _moved_ towards George, the smile on his mask growing wider. "You think I do this because it's _fun_?"

"I- No-"

Dream laughed, a horrible sound, more like a cough and a screech than anything. "I do it because I _have to_. I live off of fear. If no one's scared of me- well, poof goes the Dream!"

"What...?" George was slightly confused. Dream... lived off of fear? "...surely there's enough ambient fear in other places?"

"George, do you _honestly_ think I wouldn't be kicked out of any city or town? Looking- _moving_ like this?" Dream gestured to himself.

Well, that was odd. George couldn't recall telling Dream his name.

"I mean... uh..."

"Please. Just-" Dream seemed desperate now. He stood up, his mask returning to normal. "Just leave me alone..."

Oh, George was going to regret this.

He shook his head. "I can't."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a warning!! graphic violence happens in this chapter  
> also!! drawing!! :D  
> art by me

Dream laughed again. It was almost a sob, a pitiful, desperate wheeze. " _No_? That's your answer?"

George scrambled back. Dream was coming towards him, the smile on his mask growing ever wider, and George saw the beginnings of a crack in the mask. Hadn't Sapnap told him that Dream's mask cracked when he killed someone?

George glanced down at Dream's hands, and immediately regretted it. Claws had replaced the monster's nails, and a drop of blood trickled down Dream's fingers.

"You can't leave me alone, huh? You can't just leave and forget you saw me?" Dream asked, still walking towards George, and it felt like his voice was laced with poison. "You can't just say I'm a legend?" His hands dropped to his sides, and he sighed. "George... I don't want to hurt you. But this is your last chance to leave."

George stared up at the masked figure standing over him, breathing heavily. He could run. He could get out of the forest, save himself, let Dream keep terrorizing the town.

He didn't move.

Despite the mask covering his features, George could swear that Dream scowled.

" _Fine_ ," Dream growled. "You want to sacrifice yourself- your death won't change anything, by the way- you want to sacrifice yourself for this town? I won't stop you, hunter."

Dream's mask cracked and fell off. He looked...

Human.

Dream grinned, eyes flashing dangerously. "Bye, George."

And there were claws piercing through George's chest.

George coughed in surprise. It hadn't even _hurt_. One moment, he'd been on the ground, frozen in fear, and the next, Dream's claws had slashed through his shirt and spilled a worrying amount of blood. Dimly, George wondered how much of it was his.

He heard a shout, and everything went black.

* * *

"What the _hell,_ George?!" Sapnap yelled, frantically trying to shake his friend awake. "George, you motherfucker, you better fucking wake up!"

Clay stared at the scene, his mask replaced and claws retracted. He'd really only meant to scare the hunters away, but that was a _lot_ of blood.

...Way too much blood.

Sapnap rounded on him. " _You!_ " he hissed, scowling at Clay. "What the hell did you _do_ , Dream?!"

"I- I didn't mean-" he stammered.

"Oh, you _didn't mean_ to kill him?" Sapnap scoffed. "I probably just lost my best fucking friend because of you, asshole."

"You don't know that," Clay said quietly, walking towards George.

Sapnap ran after him. "Leave him alone-" Clay just turned his head around, and Sapnap faltered.

Clay sighed, and turned back to George. "I might be able to help him."

Sapnap seemed confused. "Didn't you attack him?"

"Yes. But I only meant to scare you two away," Clay explained.

Sapnap considered this for a moment. "So you _didn't_ mean to kill him."

Clay groaned. "Yes, you idiot, I didn't mean to kill him. Now let me help him!"

Sapnap backed away to let Clay near George.

Clay kneeled down next to the unconscious hunter, reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a roll of bandages. He paused for a moment, hand on his mask.

He'd be able to see better if he took it off, but he didn't want Sapnap to see his face...

"Nick," he said quietly.

"Yes? Wait- how do you know my name-"

"Don't look at my face, alright?" Clay asked, glancing up at the other.

Sapnap nodded. "Okay...?"

Clay took off his mask, and started to wrap the bandages around George's wound.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yes, i know. three chapters in one day.  
> i'm on FIRE

Clay tied the bandage onto George's chest, replaced his mask, and sighed. "Now we wait."

Sapnap stared at him. "I thought you were meant to clean wounds before bandaging them?"

Clay snorted. "One of the perks of being a monster: wounds inflicted by me aren't dirty, if I don't want them to be."

"...you didn't want it to be?" Sapnap asked.

Clay turned to face him, still kneeling at George's side. "Nick, if I wanted him dead, I'd have killed him quickly. Causing unnecessary suffering isn't exactly my thing."

Sapnap groaned. "How the hell do you know my name?"

Clay grinned, though Sapnap couldn't see it. "A monster never tells his secrets."

"That's magicians, dumbass," Sapnap grumbled.

"Besides, from what I heard, most people don't even call you Nick," Clay pointed out. "It's Sapnap, right?"

Sapnap stared at him again. "Uh. Yeah."

* * *

George wasn't sure, exactly, how he was still alive.

The last thing he remembered was Dream slashing him with those huge claws, and... someone shouting...?

Oh, right. Sapnap had been shouting. But, then again, sleep had been... really tempting.

Still was, honestly, but he knew he was unlikely to wake up again if he went to sleep this time. So he opened his eyes.

And Dream was kneeling over him, seeming concerned. Sapnap was there too, George guessed, but...

 _Dream_ was there. Concerned.

He vaguely remembered hearing something about how Dream had only meant to scare them off.

George must have been really out of it, because he reached up to pull Dream's mask off.

Dream yelped in surprise, jumping backwards. "G-George?!"

All George could say was, "You don't look like a monster."

"I..." Dream glanced away.

Sapnap was very purposefully not looking at Dream's face, George noticed.

"You don't look like a monster," George murmured again, slightly louder this time. "You look human. See, you're moving like a human, too."

"I... I am?" Dream asked in confusion, glancing down at himself. "Oh. I am."

George was never quite able to grasp why he said what he did then.

"You look like a _pretty_ human."

Dream's face flooded with color as he stared at George, mouth slightly open. "Wha-"

"I'm tired," George stated.

"I can see that," Sapnap said, sounding completely confused.

"Yeah, I must be tired. I was- I was up all night, and then blood spilled out of me, which makes people tired..." George paused. "I think."

"It- it does, right?" Dream glanced at Sapnap desperately, as if to say ' _I seriously have no idea what to do. Help_.'

"Yep. Makes people _super_ tired," Sapnap said loudly, picking George up and slinging him over his shoulder. "We're going back to the caravan."

"Hm? Okay." George shrugged. After a moment, he called out to Dream, "You should probably put the mask back on!"

"I'll do that!" Dream laughed, and it was nothing like the way he had before. Not desperate or gravelly. This _had_ to be Dream's real laugh.

George felt himself blush slightly. Well, this was getting more complicated by the second.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so i bullshitted some facts about whatever the hell Dream is. not saying anything about it because ~*spoilers*~, but now i have a Plan with that stuff  
> also,, i feel like i'm maybe going a bit fast with the romance stuff?? what do you guys think-?

George sat up slowly. He wasn't entirely sure if last night had been a dream.

He glanced down at his shirt, which was wrapped in bloody bandages. _Not a dream, then._

Though last night had been exceedlingly odd.

Despite himself, George really did want to know more about the strange monster. The Dream couldn't be his real name, and George was more than a little curious as to what was.

Surely Dream wouldn't mind a visit?

Wincing slightly, George stood up and made his way towards the door.

Sapnap put a hand on his shoulder. "George, what are you doing?"

 _Damn. Caught red-handed,_ George found himself thinking. "Oh. Uh. Sap, hi!"

Sapnap's grip on his shoulder tightened slightly. "George. What are you doing."

"I-I was..." George faltered at Sapnap's steely glare. "I was going to find Dream...?

Sapnap stared at him. "You want to find the... thing that gave you that wound?"

"He's not a thing!" George snapped. Realizing how loud he'd been, he quickly added, "I- I mean... he's obviously not a _thing_ , Nick. He can talk and understand me and-"

"George, did you just call me _Nick_?" Sapnap asked, sounding confused. "You only call me that when you're mad at me."

George didn't want to admit it, but he _was_ a little mad at Sapnap. He just wanted to go outside and see Dream, and Sapnap wouldn't let him! And on top of that, Sapnap just called Dream a _thing_!

...Why exactly did those things make him so angry?

"Ugh, whatever," George growled, pushing past Sapnap (though it hurt his chest to do so). "I'm going anyway."

Sapnap followed him, face full of concern. "George, are you okay...?

"I'm fine. Now go back into the caravan."

"George-"

" _I'm fine_ , Nick," George hissed.

"...okay."

Yeah, George would have to say sorry later.

* * *

Clay hadn't expected the hunter to come back.

What he'd expected was for George to stay as far away from him as possible, and for him to leave, Sapnap in tow.

But George _wasn't_ leaving, and Clay didn't know what to do with that fact.

Especially considering George had called him _pretty_.

And yet, the hunter was there again, in the forest, obviously searching for Clay (or as he called him, Dream. Clay got a little bit flustered when he thought of the nickname, even though he knew it was just a shortening of 'the Dream').

"Dream?" George called out, glancing up at the trees, his goggles pulled up onto his forehead. "Where are you?"

Clay laughed a little, then disguised it as a cough. "I'm behind you, silly."

He was.

"AAH!" George screamed, turning around. "Oh. Uh, sorry, Dream... I didn't expect you to be there, hah."

"It's no problem," Clay assured him, adjusting his mask. He usually had only a vague sense that it was even there, but around George, it felt... intrusive. As if it wasn't meant to be there. "So, George... uh, if you don't mind me asking- why are you here?"

"Oh! Uh. Right. That," George laughed, and Clay was grateful for his mask, because if it wasn't there he was sure George would have noticed his blush. "Yeah. I just... wanted to see you, I guess..."

Oh, gods, Clay was hopeless.

**Author's Note:**

> so this exists now. thanks for reading! please leave a comment, it would seriously mean the world to me!!


End file.
